Movable piece game



May 2, 1961 GARNETT 2,982,551

MOVABLE PIECE GAME Filed March 4, 1958 6 77 3L1 6 5 2 12 3 8 FIGZG F- Sig T 16f 7 5 J5 7 I 2 L r J 3? KARL Q -mks,

RWORNCV United States. Patent F MOVABLE PIECE GAME William Garnett, Hilton Hall, Hilton, England Filed Mar. 4, 1958, Ser. No. 719,009

Claims priority, application Great Britain Mar. 5, 1957 2 Claims. (Cl. 273-131) This invention concerns improvements relating to games played with movable pieces.

According to the invention, such a game comprises a base, a set of pieces disposed in adjoining lines on the base, means to cover the set of pieces at least partially during play and means operative to determine moves of such pieces while covered by the first-mentioned means.

It is believed that the invention involves a new principle in games played with movable pieces, in that it pro-- vides for masked moves of such pieces, that is moves masked by means to cover the set of pieces, and thereby considerably enhances the appeal of these games and the degree of skill required in play. A

The invention will be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan of one example, part being broken away,

Fig. 2 a section on the line 11-11 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 fragmental plan views showing modifications.

The example illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 is intended for playing a game termed blockade in which opposing players each endeavour to move their pieces through the lines or ranks of pieces of the opponent and thus break the so-called blockade. In this example, the base 1 is square with upstanding sides 2 giving it a shallow tray or like form. At each corner the base has a square post 3 for locating a chequered board 4 hereinafter referred to (shown partly broken away in Fig. 1), but the rest of the base is filled with the set of pieces. The latter are of square shape and the set (numbering 96 altogether) is divided into four sets providing two individual sets of pieces (each 24in number) for each of two players. The individual sets may be of different colours, for instance one yellow (asat 5) and one green (as at 6), relative to one player, and one blue (as at 7) and the remaining one red (as at 8), relative to'his opponent. Some of the pieces are shown conventionally shaded in Fig. 1 for illustrative purposes. Yellow and green, as one of the players may be called, has his pieces 5, 6 disposed in ranks and files at one side of the base and blue and red has his pieces 7, 8 similarly arranged on the opposite side. For illustrative purposes the sides are shown respectively below and above the line A--A in Fig. 1. A certain number, say two, of the pieces of each colour, which pieces may be termed blockade runners for convenience, are holed in the middle (as at 9) and are the piecesto .bemanipulated by the players by masked moves of the nature aforesaid to get through the blockade.

The chequered board 4 is marked in squares of contrasting colours, suitably black (as at 10) and white (as at 11), and it has eight squares each way making sixty-four in all. Some of the dark squares 10 are'shown conventionally shaded in Fig. 1 for illustrative purposes. The squares 10, 11 are of similar dimensions, in plan, to the pieces 5-8 so that when the board is placed cen- 2 trally on the set of pieces 5-8 on the base 1 and located by the posts 3, its squares are coincident, in plan, with such pieces. The size of the board is such that it largely covers the set of pieces but, as shown in Fig. 1, leaves a line of pieces (rank and file) exposed outside each edge of the board between the posts 3. The latter are diagonally slotted at 12 to receive locating elements projecting from the four corners of the board. These elements may be pins 13, as in Figs. 1 and 2, or the board 4 itself may have integral corner projections as at 14 in Fig. 3, or M-like staples, such as 15 in Fig. 4, may be driven into the corners of the board, to engage the inner corners of the posts 3 as shown in which case the posts need not be slotted. Preferably, the board is made slightly small to leave a second line of pieces partly exposed at each edge of the board, in which event the squares 10, 11 along the edges of the board will be.

correspondingly narrowed as compared with other'places on the board, see'Fig. 1. The board is perforated at the middle of each black square, as at 16, for insertionof pins 17 as hereinafter described. The pins have coloured heads, suitably of square block shape and shown con-' ventionally shaded in Fig. l, and there may be eight of them in all, two being coloured yellow and two red,

two blue and two green, corresponding to the pieces 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the players. Or there may be more of each colour, say 4, to provide spares. It will be realised that if, when a pin 17 is inserted in a perforation 16 of the board 4, it happens to pass through the perforation and extend into the hole 9 of one of the holed pieces (blockade runners) beneath, this can be regarded as an efiective, or particularly effective, operation in the playing of a game.

It will be understood that although the conventional shading is not shown applied to all of the pieces and squares in Fig. 1, they would all be coloured as stated.-v It is believed that sutficient shading is shown for appropriate understanding of the invention.

Under a set of rules for the game termed blockade," the play may be as follows:

Preliminary (1) The two players draw for colours; the yellow and green player is assumed to have first move.

(2) The pieces 5-8 are set in the base with the yellow and green pieces 5, 6 on one half and the blue and red pieces 7, 8 on the other, i.e. on opposite sides of the line A-A. The ranks and files of pieces exposed outside the edges of the chequered board 4, when the latter is in position, including those partly exposed, are suitably arranged in a chequered pattern on each half of the base as will be understood from Fig. 1. This is a useful guide in remembering which moves of the pieces are made in play. The remaining pieces may be arrayed in any pattern. The board 4 being removed, a screen, such as a sheet of card, plastic or paper (not shown), is then put up across the middle of the base along the line AA, i.e. between the opposing sides, and each player proceeds to arrange his four holed pieces (the so-called blockade runners) out of sight of his opponent, in any way he pleases, remembering where he has put them. Both players then cover their pieces with an obscum'ng sheet of card, plasticor paper and the screen is removed, whereupon the board 4 is set in position and the obscuring sheets removed from under it. Play then begins.

Play

(3) The first player to move one of his holed pieces or blockade runners clear of the chequered board 4 on the far side wins.

(4) The players take turns to move. A move is made either by pushing or by pinning.

Patented May 2, 1961 A *push" is made by taking out the piece at one end of a line or column of the pieces, sliding the line or column along one place beneath the board, and putting the piece back at the other end of the line or column. The push" may be forwards, sideways orbackwards. The exposed ranks and files beyond the sides ofthe board may not be moved longitudinally as columns. For facilitating the taking out and replacing of the pieces at the ends of the lines or columns, the base 1 may be formed sloping as at 18 or otherwise designed, so that the pieces take up an outwardly and downwardly inclined position there (cf. Fig. 2) though this is not essential.

To pin a piece under a black square 10 of the board 4, a player uses a pin 17 of his own colour and engages it in the perforation 16 of such square. If, in doing this, the pin also slips into the hole 90f one of his opponents holed pieces (blockade runners) beneath, as shown of one of the pins in Fig. 2, he immobilises that particular blockade runner and thereby blocks a certain rank and'file to his opponent. He may pin his own pieces (blockade runners) also if he wishes. If the pin 17 finds such a piece, he takes another move and may pin again if desired. But if the pin finds a dummy, i.e., a piece other than a blockade runner (cf. the other pins 17 in Fig. 2), his next move is forfeit, so that his opponent then has two moves running. The opponent may, however, claim this forfeit by unpinning a piece which the player has already pinned and pushing" once.

(5) A player may not follow his opponents push by pushing the same column in the opposite direction. This rule applies even though the player may have just pinned successfully. In the case of a forfeit it applies only to the last move.

(6) A player may at any time release a piece he has pinned and move it. Unpinning here does not count as a separate move.

(7) When a blockade runner piece is pushed out to the exposed sidelines (ranks and files) it remains in play, though exposed, and another push" in the same direction will require it to be brought back to the opposite sideline. When such a piece is pushed out on to its own first rank it is eliminated from play and its place is taken by a dummy spare (not shown) or by the same piece turned over.

(8) The chequered board 4 remains in place until the end of the game. Removal of the board during play, on any pretext, counts as resignation.

The above rules, of course, are given only by way of example and are capable of variation. Also, other games than the blockade game described can be played'with the apparatus, e.g. one in which a players objectiveis to move as many of his holed pieces. asclear ofthe chequered board 4 on the far side as he can. Another type of game is one in which movement of the pins17 across the board 4 is the objective and that of the holed pieces only a means to that end. The number of players can also be varied, e.g. to four.

Considerable interest, it is believed, will be aroused in the play by the masked moves and obviously the invention lends itself to variations of the construction. For example, a larger or smaller number of pieces may be used; also it is not essential to use a chequered board for masking the moves, because for instance, a plain board could be used, of uniform colour and perforated for the pins, or one marked only with circles around each of the perforations. Another form of board is of diamond pattern lattice design revealing the colour of the pieces beneath without revealing which of them are holed pieces or blockade runners.

It will be apparent that the present invention provides games requiring the exercise of considerable skill on the part of the players and in particular it constitutes a considerable test of memory in view of the masked character of the moves.

What I claim is:

l. A game played with movable pieces comprising a rectangular base having upstanding parts along its four sides, a set of movable play pieces of rectangular form disposed close together on said base in lines each of several pieces and extending across said base at rightangles to one another and within the confines of said upstanding parts, a few of said pieces being formed with holes in the center of their upper surface, erect parts fixedly disposed on said base at the ends of the outer lines of play pieces adjoining said upstanding parts, these linesthereby containing two fewer play pieces than the remaining lines, a rectangular board laidsymmetrically upon said set of pieces in engagement with said erect parts, said board being smaller than the underlying base and the pieces thereon thereby leaving said outer line of pieces exposed outside the periphery of'said board for manipulation of said exposedpieces by the players, said board being formed with perforations at places distributed over its area so as to coincide with the centers of the upper surfaces of theplay pieces therebeneath, and means capable of being insertedby the players through said perforations for tracing-said few pieces by engagement within said holes.

2. A game played with movable pieces comprising a polygonal base having upstanding parts alongall of its sides, a set of movable play pieces disposed close together on said basein lines each of several pieces and extending across said base at an angle to one another and within the confines of said upstanding parts, a few of said pieces being formed with holes in the center of their upper surfaces, erect parts fixedly disposed on said base at the ends of the outer lines of play piecesadjoining said upstanding parts, these lines containing fewer play pieces-than the remaining lines, a board of the same polygonal form as said base-and disposed symmetrically with said set of pieces in engagement with said erect parts, said board being smaller than the underlying base and the pieces thereon thereby leaving said outer lines of pieces at least partly exposed outside the periphery of said board for manipulation of said exposed pieces by the players, said board being formed with perforations at places distributed over its area so as to coincide with the centers of the upper surfaces of the play pieces therebeneath, and means capable of being inserted by the players through said perforations fortracing said few pieces by engagement within said holes.

References Cited in the file of this patent.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 351,493 Butterworth Oct. 26, 1886 702,188 Elliott June 10, 1902 1,147,776 Altick July 27, 1915 2,093,427 Eckstein Sept. 21, 1937 2,157,589 Bullen May 9, 1939 2,299,803 Deaton Oct. 27, 1942 2,536,380 Lucassen Jan. 2, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 150,672 Austria Sept. 25, 1937 

